


Trust Me

by Queerily_kai



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Timeline, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Don't copy to another site, F/M, Fix-It, M/M, Movie Spoilers, Parallel Universe, Steve Saves Bucky, Time Travel, happy stucky ever after, steve changes things
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 18:43:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18610309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queerily_kai/pseuds/Queerily_kai
Summary: Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame!!Steve follows through with the plan to return all of the stones to their origional places in time, but instead of returning, he fixes somethings.  He understands that he can't stop Bucky from becomming the winter soldier, or keep Hydra out of S.H.I.E.L.D in his timeline, but he can make sure there is at least on alternate universe where things work out a little better for everyone.   And were Peggy and Steve finally get their dance before living out his life with Bucky.





	Trust Me

“So what’s your plan, Steve?” Bucky asked, walking over to the table where Steve was looking over the contents of his case one last time. 

“You know the plan, Buck, returning the Stones to the moment they were taken from. Asgard first, and then Vormir, and then…”

“No Steve, whats the plan after that,” Buck interrupted. “I know you, you have something else in mind.” 

Steve sighed, closing the case and looking up at Bucky. “And then I fix somethings. And I give Peggy that dance I still owe her.” 

“You going to stay with her?” Bucky asked. 

“No,” Steve answered, stepping forward to take Bucky’s hand. “Just the one dance, and then I have to save you.”

Bucky nodded, looking down at their hands as he twined their fingers together. “You already saved me, Steve. Im free now. It’s enough.” 

“In this timeline, you’re right, I can’t do anymore, but in another one I can.” Steve said, squeezing Bucky’s flesh hand tightly in his own. “I can make sure that in at least one version of reality we can have a better life. I need to know that somewhere you and I can grow old in the right time period.” 

“Ok, but you have to promise me one thing,” Bucky said, looking up at Steve. 

“Anything Buck, what do you want?” Steve wispered. 

“Promise me that this isn’t the end of the line for us, in this time. Promise me that you will come back to me.” 

“I promise, once im done, I’ll return.” Steve said, moving a hand to Bucky’s shoulder, thumb tracing his neck as he spoke. “I’ll have to If I’m going to pass on the sheild to you.”

“No, to Sam,” Bucky countered. “He deserves it, and I don’t want it. But I will help him out, watch his back.” 

Steve nodded in agreement. Bucky was right. 

“And I dont know what i would do with my self without an idiot to keep out of trouble, you punk,” Bucky added, leaning into Steves hand at his neck. 

“I love you too, Jerk,” Steve replied, and leaned in to kiss Bucky. 

\-----

An hour later, Steve was in his red, white and grey suit, standing on the quantum gate, case packed with the stones and Pym particles in his hand. 

“You sure about doing this alone?” Sam asked asked as Steve got in place on the platform.

“Yeah, It’s what I have to do,” Steve replied, looking over at Bucky with a soft smile. 

“Don’t do anything stupid while Im gone,” Steve said with a grin, and Bucky laughed softly in reply. 

“You’re taking all the stupid with you,” Bucky replied. “Im gonna miss you.”

Steve paused a moment, hand hovering over the activation button on his glove as he looked at Bucky one last time. In a flash, he was off to Asgard.

\---

The first part of the plan went as expected, and Steve was able to quickly jump to each location and return the stones. Returning the reality stone and Thors Hammer back to Asgard, the power stone to Morag, the time stone back to the Sanctum Sanctorum and the Mind Stone back to Shield goes easily. The trip to camp Lehigh however is more dificult, as he has to hide for hours before sneaking the Space stone back to shields vault. He saw Peggy a few times, and almost revealed himself, but stuck to the plan. He would get to see her soon enough. He saves Vormir for last, a bit of hope that returning the Soul Stone would bring Natasha back keeps him going, but Clint was right. The trade was permanent, and no amount of standing at the edge of a cliff begging the void would change that. 

His job was done. He could go home now, back through the Quantum gate to Sam and Bucky in 2023. The idea was tempting for a moment. 

\---

Steve jumped back to the alps in 1945, the day before Bucky would fall from the train, and hid in a tree till it was dark, watching as his previous self and the Howling Commando’s set up camp. Once he saw himself climb into a tent, and heard Bucky announce that he would be to bed after he took a leak, Steve dropped from the tree and approached Buck. 

“Buck!” he called out softly, “come here a minute.” 

“Change your mind?” Bucky asked with a grin, “Because I remember you saying you weren’t in the mood tonight.” 

Steve felt his heart rate speed up slightly as he remembered how they used to sneak off to the edge of camp at night to have not-so-secret sex.

“Bucky, I’m not your Steve,” Steve said, as Bucky approached. 

“What do you mean your not my Steve,” Bucky asked as he got closer. He paused about a foot away, and looked closely at Steve’s face. He stared for a long moment, and frowned, struggling to hide his confusion.

“Why do you look older,” Bucky demanded, “and why is your uniform different. I just saw you in bed, over there.” 

“I can’t explain much, but I’m from your future,” Steve explained calmly. “I’m here to help you, so I need you to trust me.”

“This isn’t funny, Steve,” Bucky warned, taking a step back. 

“Time travel is real, Buck,” Steve said, “I’m telling the truth, I traveled back from the future.” 

Bucky crossed his arms and glared at Steve, “Ok, so say I believe you. What do you want from me?” 

“Take these, and keep them hidden,” Steve said, handing over a map and what looked like a metal bracelet. “Make sure you are wearing that tomorrow. Think of it like a parachute. You will know when to use it.” 

Bucky slipped it onto his wrist, examining the device as best he could under the moonlight. It appeared to be solid metal. 

“And how am i supposed to use it?” Bucky questioned, still acting like it was some kind of joke. 

“Just touch your finger to the flat part here and hold it down for three seconds,” Steve said, "you will know when." 

“Ok, I guess, and what about this?” he asked as he unfolded the paper. “A map?”

“Head here after, I’ll be waiting for you, and watch for the Russians,” Steve said, pointing to a marking on the map.

“After what?” Bucky questioned, refolding the map and tucking it into his pocket. 

“Just have to trust me, you will know,” Steve said again. “I’ll see you soon, now go to bed, and don't tell anyone i was here.” 

\---

Steve had been waiting for about an hour at the side of a road near the top of the ravine when he heard footsteps coming up the trail. He smiled when he spotted Bucky, knowing the plan had worked so far. 

“Do you believe me yet?” Steve asked, stepping out onto the trail as Bucky approached. 

“Yeah, that was crazy, by the way,” Bucky said, looking overwhelmed. “You steal that from Hydra?”

“No, from Stark, a future Stark,” Steve explained. “Called a rescue suit, supposed to slow your fall and make a protective bubble to land safely.”

“It was like being caught by a cloud,” Bucky said, grinning. “So what now?”

“Now you have to hide for a while, let everyone think you died in the fall,” Steve explained, leading Bucky up to the road where a german supply truck was parked. “Go east to Romania, to Bucharest and lay low, say your a student on a gap year or something. Everything you need is in that bag, money, new identification, clothes. And most importantly, an address where Peggy Carter will come looking for you in June 1947. Wait for her, and trust her.”

“So that's it? Just take off to Romania and let everyone think i'm dead for two years?” Bucky questioned, sounding nervous. 

“That’s it Buck, that's how it needs to be,” Steve replied. “It’s what your Steve needs to believe, just trust me.” 

Bucky nodded, taking the keys from Steve. “Will I see him again? My Steve, I mean?” 

“You will, after you meet up with Peggy,” Steve said. 

“And you?” Bucky asked. 

“My job is done here, and this isn’t my timeline. Don’t do anything stupid,” Steve said, and stepped back into the woods disappearing with a flash of light.

 

\---

Steve’s next jump was to Camp Lehigh again, back to New Jersey in 1947 when S.H.I.E.L.D was in its early days of development. Once again, he stayed in the shadows, watching the building where Peggy’s office was until he found his chance to slip inside. It had been less than two years since he was believed to have died, and there were still many people on base who would recognize him. 

He slipped into her office, and sat in a chair tucked into the corner that would keep him out of sight from any windows. He made a point to shift in the chair as she entered, making enough noise as the legs slid across the floor to get her attention without startling her. 

“Stay quiet, don’t let anyone know I’m here,” He said quickly, leaning forward into the light so she could see his face. 

Peggy froze, nearling dropping her tea as she looked at him. 

“Steve?” She said softly. “But your dead, we all thought you…” Her voice trembled as she spoke, going silent mid sentence. “Are you in danger?”

“It's me, Peg,” he replied, smiling at her. “And I'm not in danger, I just needed to see you one last time. I still owe you that dance.” 

“Steve, what are you talking about?” Peggy questioned, frowning as she stepped closer. “What do you mean one last time?” 

“Not here,” he said shaking his head, no one can know i was here. “Do you have somewhere we can go?” 

“I have a small house off base we can go to,” to answered quickly, “stay here till I can get you out.” 

Steve nodded, and stayed hidden till Peggy returned with a hat and coat for him to wear, and snuck him out a back door and into her car, where he stayed ducked down in the back seat till they arrived to a small house on a suburban street. 

They were sitting in the living room with a fresh pot of tea before either of them spoke again. 

“How did you survive?” Peggy asked. “The plane crashed, somewhere under the ice and we couldn’t find you. Howard and I looked everywhere, for over a year. We found no trace of the plane.” 

“The serum kept me alive, frozen in the ice, but still alive for many, many years,” Steve explained, “I'm not your Steve, not anymore.”

“I don't understand,” Peggy said with a frown, “It's been less than two years since we lost you.”

“I can’t give you too many details, but I’m from the future,” Steve said, “We figured out time travel.”

Peggy stayed silent, studying his face. “You do look older than I remember.”

“It’s been almost ten years for me since I was pulled from the ice,” he said, “and there are things that happened in my timeline that I can change with your help. You just have to trust me Peg.” 

“Okay, I trust you,” she said after a moment. “What do you need?”

Steve pulled out a folded paper from his pocket and handed it to her. It was a list of names, an address, and a set of coordinates.

“What is this?” she asked, looking confused again. 

“It’s everything I can give you to keep S.H.I.E.L.D from being compromised,” he explained. “In my time, S.H.I.E.L.D was infiltrated by Hydra, sleeper agents. Those are the names of the people who were involved. Keep them out of the organization.” 

“Arnim Zola, Alexander Pierce, Jasper Sitwell, Brock Rumlow…” she read aloud, “I don't know any of these names, besides Zola.” 

“Not yet, but trust me, watch for them,” Steve said, “They will matter someday. And keep Bucky as far from Zola as you can.”

“Steve,” Peggy said softly, setting down the paper. “Bucky is dead. You know he fell from the train.” 

“He’s not, I already fixed that,” Steve said solemnly. “He’s there, been hiding out off Hydra’s radar.” he pointed to the address on the page, a church in Romania.  
“I had to make sure he was safe till you were ready to go get him.” 

“I don’t know what to make of all this, Steve,” Peggy said looking up at him. “Time travel, and fixing everything, it’s a lot to take in.” 

“I know Peg, and I’m sorry I can’t tell you more, but the less you know about the future the better.” He reached out to take her hand. “I just need you to trust me on this.” 

“I trust you,” she replied squeezing his hand. “Now what is this?” she asked, pointing to the coordinates on the page. 

“That's where you will find the plane, near the arctic circle, and your Steve from this timeline,” Steve explained. “Give these to Howard, it doesn't matter where you say they came from, just don't tell him I was here.”

“I can do that,” She said with a nod. “Your leaving, aren’t you.”

“I have to. This isn't my timeline, I don't belong here,” He said, standing from the couch. 

He walked across the room to the record player, and flipped through Peggy’s collection until he found something slow. Smooth jazz began to play, and Steve turned back to Peggy and held out a hand. 

“I believe I still owe you a dance,” he said. 

They held each other close as they moved slowly to the music, touches lingering as they circled the room. 

“Why are you doing this?” Peggy whispered into his ear as the first song ended. 

“Because I need to know that somewhere, in some universe, the world is a little better than mine ended up,” Steve replied.

“I’m going to miss you,” Peggy said, “and I will always love you.” 

“And I will always love you,” Steve replied, and leaned in to kiss her goodbye. 

\----

Sam and Bucky stood at the edge of the quantum gate waiting for Steve to return. It had only been ten seconds for them, but felt much longer. Sam pushed the button to bring him back, but nothing happened. The gate remained empty, and Sam began to panic, worried that something had gone wrong. 

“Over there, Sam,” Bucky said calmly, pointing to a bench facing the water. There was an old man there sitting with his back to them. Bucky encouraged Sam to approach, standing back. 

“Steve?” Sam questioned, recognizing the man's features. “What happened to you?”

 

“I decided to go and live a life like someone suggested,” Steve said with a smile. 

“Wanna tell me about it?” Sam asked with a grin. Steve refused. 

Steve reached to his right, and picked up a leather bag that was leaning against the bench. He opened it up and removed the shield, handing it to Sam. 

“What are you doing?” Sam questioned, taking the shield from Steve. 

 

“It’s yours now,” Steve answered, “Try it on.” 

Sam strapped the shield to his arm, and held it up with a smile. Bucky looked over with an approving nod, and smiled back. 

Sam and Steve spoke for several more minutes, and then Sam stood and left the area, giving Bucky a moment to talk as well. 

“So did it work?” Bucky asked, sitting close on the bench. 

 

“Perfectly,” Steve answered. “There’s now an alternate reality out there where Hydra never infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D, you never became the Winter Soldier, and I was in the ice for two years instead of seventy.” 

“And what about us, here?” Bucky asked.

“We finally get to retire, settle down in a small town, house in the mountains. We see the Grand Canyon,” Steve said. 

“But not yet,” Bucky replied. 

“No, not quite yet,” Steve confirmed. “Stay with Sam a while longer, watch his back and help him get a new team together. I’ll meet you here again in two years, the younger me of course, and we will go live our life together.”

“Sounds perfect,” Bucky said, and stayed on the bench with Steve until the sun set, and Steve announced his time was up.


End file.
